National Squad Funding Policy
1. Introduction
1.1 The objective of this policy is to provide guidelines on theallocation and utilisationof funds for National Training Squad (NTS) athletes’ participation in local/overseastraining and competitions and for related equipment purchase.
1.2 This policy is applicable to all current NTS athletes and accompanying support officials.
1.3 This policy remains in force until amended or revoked by the Singapore Cycling Federation (SCF) Management Committee (MC).
2. Guidelines
2.1 All current NTS athletes(and supporting officials) are eligible for SCF funding.
2.2 The SCF receives financial support from Sport Singapore (SS) and, the table below provides an overview of items of expenditure which can be supported and funded (as extracted from SS’s Grant and Audit Management Handbook 2015):
| Local Training and Competitions | Overseas Training and Competitions | Sport Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Competition fees | Airfare inclusive of taxes (to be procured by Sport SG’s shared travel management services) | Attiring and equipping the athlete for trainings and competitions |
| Accommodation | Visa fees | Purchase and/or leasing of sports equipment |
| Meals | Accommodation | |
| Transport | Meals | |
| Sports Medicine & Sports Science services | Transport | |
| Other Competition and Training expenses | Sports Medicine & Sports Science services | |
| Insurance | ||
| Medical |
2.3 The SCF MC met on 14 Oct and 11 Nov 2016 and agreed on theapportionment of SS funding for the Road, Track,BikeTrial, BMX and MTB disciplines. The apportionment was derived based on the following:
- track record of medals won and Top 8 placing at Major Games and/or regional competitions
- high medal potential at an upcoming Major Game or regional competitions
- the discipline is featured at an upcoming Major Game, there is evidence of a structured training programme and there is a squad of national athletes involved in organised training and competitions
2.4 For FY17 and beyond, while the apportionment would remain unchanged, the quantum of available funds will vary depending on theamount approved and received from SS.
3. Fund Management Process
3.1 SCF’s Vice-President for Track, MTB, Road,BikeTrial and BMX will be the primary point of contact for all athlete and performance-related mattersincluding the identification and selection of athletes (also to be made in consultation with SCF’s Head Coach), participation in a local or regional training stint or competition (also to be made in consultation with SCF’s Head Coach), procurement of training equipment, appointment of Team Managers and training/competition support personnel and, amount of funding allocated or available for a particular competition.The respective Vice-Presidents can be contacted via emails:track@cycling.org.sg, mtb@cycling.org.sg, road@cycling.org.sg, bmx@cycling.org.sg, biketrial@cycling.org.sg
3.2 All funds, for the various disciplines, will be allocated at the beginning of the financial year (i.e. by 1 April) and will have to be fully utilised by the end of the same of the financial year i.e. 31 March, the following year. All under- utilisation will have to be flagged by the respective Vice Presidents for discussion with SCF’s Sport and Technical Manager, General Manager and the Hon Secretary.
3.3 As for the utilisation of the “Discretionary Funds,” this will be available on a case-by-case basis. The respective Vice Presidents will have to submit a compelling proposal with strong justifications to a panel comprising the President, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer. The proposal should include:
- an accompanying budget
- list of athletes, coaches or high performance support personnel who will be benefiting from the fund
- clearly defined objectives and key performance indicators for each of the participating athlete
3.4 The panel will consult the Secretariat, Head Coach and the relevant Vice President before coming to a decision. All approvals will require the support of at least two (2) of the three (3) panel members. Where possible, any unutilised “Discretionary Fund,” excluding funds from Sport Singapore, will be carried over to the next financial year.
3.5 From time to time, the SCF also receive invitations to participate in a fully or partially funded competition (i.e. funded by a National Federation, NF, or host country). For such cases, the athlete’s and accompanying official’s expenses will be fully or partially funded by the host country or NF AND the respective Vice Presidents may or may not recommend a top-up of any shortfall.
3.6 There will also be other instances where an athlete makes an application to self-fund and participate in a regional or international competition which will contribute to his/her training and/or competition objectives for a particular training year AND be a significant data point in consideration of the athlete’s qualification for a Major Game. In such cases, the application will have to first receive the support and endorsement of the relevant Vice President (Road, Track, BMX, MTB or BikeTrial) and at least two out of three panel members comprising the President, Hon Secretary and Hon Treasurer. The SCF will then enter into an agreement with the athlete and key performance indicators (KPIs) to be fulfilled.
4. Reports and Statement of Accounts
4.1 The respective Vice Presidents and the appointed Team Manager will be responsible for the preparation and submission of reports and statement of accounts to the Hon Secretary and Secretariat.
4.2 It will be necessary for supporting documents and receipts to be submitted in consideration of claims made by the respective Vice Presidents.